Actually, McCain didn’t quite say that, but what he did say is just as laughable. The problem is that far too many people will believe him simply because of the failure of American media to report accurately and objectively about conditions in Iraq. Here’s what St. Straight Shooter said today to the Veterans of Foreign Wars:
Addressing the Veterans of Foreign Wars, McCain criticized Obama and Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and insisted that last year’s U.S. troop buildup in Iraq brought a glimmer of “something approaching normal” there, despite a recent outbreak of heavy fighting and a U.S. death toll that has surpassed 4,000.
“I do not believe that anyone should make promises as a candidate for president that they cannot keep if elected,” McCain told the crowd.
“To promise a withdrawal of our forces from Iraq, regardless of the calamitous consequences to the Iraqi people, our most vital interests, and the future of the Middle East, is the height of irresponsibility,” he said. “It is a failure of leadership.”
No Johnny, the failure of leadership is to keep poring lives and money into a human catastrophe for which most of the people who live there blame us, as in the United States of America. We cannot be the solution to the problem we created, one which we continue to exacerbate. Furthermore, no one trusts us to be an honest broker. Just ask the Kurds. But go ahead Johnny. Just keep tying yourself ever tighter to the bow of the good ship USS Iraq Forever.
Because sooner or later the Democrats are going to stop their internecine fighting, and the focus will be on you and your message. And trust me, the vast number of Americans want to hear about how we leave Iraq, not why we should stay there for 5, 10, 20, 50 years. As our economy worsens, as more people lose their health insurance after ever more employers layoff more of their employees, as more young adults rightly fear the return of the Draft in response to your policy of eternal (and possibly extended) war in the Middle East, the truth will out. Iraq was a mistake that is killing our country’s future even as it literally kills the lives of Iraqis and Americans every day.
So keep up with the cheer leading. Indeed, to borrow a phrase, bring it on.
“To promise
a withdrawalan entrenchment of our forcesfromin Iraq, regardless of the calamitous consequences to the Iraqi people, our most vital interests, and the future of the Middle East, is the height of irresponsibility,” he said. “It is a failure of leadership.”there — all fixed.
McCain’s Speech On Progress In Iraq Interrupted By News Of Mortars Hitting The Green Zone
Just another day at the office in the Green Zone.
Why do I always get the feeling that McCain wants a replay of the ending of the Vietnam War? His actions lack a larger perspective and seem to circle back to how we pulled out of Vietnam. I grant him his personal trauma but it has indeed censored his perspective on this war.
that position’s going to be a tough sell given the attitude of the general public vis-a-vis iraq; to wit:
more polls re: iraq at pollingreport.com
bring it on…do indeed.
st. john suffers from an advanced case of foot in mouth disease.
But what if, in tinfoil-hat reality, the Powers That Be (PTB) are still pro-Occupation?
I am still predicting President McCain until I see evidence that occupying ALL Oil producing regions is no longer PTB policy. There is just going to have to be a very interesting election cycle to justify that outcome.
A coming hint that the fix is in: McCain selects a Dem, Independent or Bloomberg as VP.
Yeah when you have to live away from the homeland you get to hear a lot of different opinions to those you would at home. Well when we reelected Bush, the warmongering idiot, a hell of a lot of foreigners thought we were crazy and feeling for us and our country became more negative. Well guess what is going to happen if we elect old hundred years war man – Yeah our prestige and popularity are going to be even further lowered. While some at home may talk about McCain being a moderate and mention bi-partisan…… Abroad he is seen as another warmonger. In fact he is even more outspoken about having wars than Bush was before he was elected. Then add in the fact that McCain looks like he is about to die and looks like twenty years older than his age plus he comes across as even more idiotic than Bush when he talks and lacks the “guy I’d like to have a beer with” appeal of Bush and you wonder why any of us would ever vote for this “politcal corpse”.
Of course many or even most of our great people dont give a ** about what foreigners think and McCain stands a good chance of winning the presidency especially after the Republican swift boaters get after Obama, and the republican bias media build him up as somethign he never was and certainly will never become. The sad thing is if this outcome occurs we will have not just missed an opportunity to change our own politcal culture but also an opportunity to reenter the world community with our pariah status at least reduced.
If the United States buys a continuation of the Iraqi War and elects John MCCain, I think we shall enter a new dark age where all bets are off regarding the future welfare of this nation.
I think also that a clear majority of the voters of our republic sense this same danger and that they will elect the Democratic candidate by significantly large majorities.
This is one of those rare times in our history(1940, 1932, 1912, 1860, 1844 being others) when the issues facing us have a vital import. I feel the voice of the people will make itself heard and that it will speak loudly and clearly against what McCain represents: a program fraught with danger and overwhelming peril.
Long live liberty. Long live the repbulic. Let peace prevail. Viva Obama.